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Set in colonial Massachusetts, The Devil’s Elbow follows Jack Parker from his orphan childhood days as an apprentice to a greedy and brutal Boston merchant to the isolated pioneer settlement of Brookfield, where he ends up in the fight of his life to protect the people and things he loves. The book is set against the background of King Philip’s War, the single greatest catastrophe to occur in seventeenth-century Puritan New England.

Jack uses the knowledge his father gave him - that the measure of a man is how he deals with the worst life can throw at him - along with the support of the powerful man who becomes his friend, and the deep, unshakeable love for his wife to fuel his determination to survive. He draws on all he has learned on his three-decade journey when he’s met with his greatest test as he and ninety-eight others are trapped in a four-room tavern for three hot, humid August days, fighting for survival against 400 once-friendly Indians who are determined to wipe them out and reclaim their land and way of life.

More About the Author

A colonial historian and member of the Quaboag Historical Society and West Brookfield Historical Commission, award‐winning author Ed Londergan has always been fascinated by American history. He began researching the battles of King Philips's War and was amazed by what he found. He decided to bring history back to life through the eyes of Jack Parker, a young orphaned boy from Ipswich, and his passage into adulthood during a very dangerous and frightening time. The result was The Devil's Elbow (Indian Rock Publishing, 2013), which won an honorable mention in the juvenile fiction category at the 2013 New England Book Festival. Londergan's newest book, The Long Journey Home, continues the story with Jack Parker's capture and escape and his brutal trek home through the winter wilderness to the wife and son he loves beyond measure, so together, they can find the one place that is truly home. A graduate of Holy Cross, Londergan lives in Warren, Massachusetts with his wife Barbara.

Suspenseful, exciting, and interesting. We may think life is difficult now but imagine living with the constant life or death struggles of Colonial Massachusetts. I couldn't wait to find out how Jack and his family survived through each challenge.

The Devil's Elbow moves along at a good pace; the characterizations are solid; the descriptions of colonial Massachusetts are accurate and most interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this coming-of-age historical account of settling Massachusetts in the second half of the 1600's. Since I live near some of the towns mentioned, the storyline is especially interesting to me.. I enjoyed The Devil's Elbow as it detailed the life of the early settlers, their joys, their hardships, their fears, and their hopes. Several times I was familiar with the names of the indigenous tribes mentioned, a few times I enjoyed stopping to quickly research the location of an Nipmuck village.. I am not sure I will ever drive through the towns and villages mentioned in this book again without vivid ideas of what life was like over 300 hundred years ago in these very same localities. As a former teacher, I should like to see this book used in Massachusetts schools to teach not only language arts but colonial New England history. This book is a winner.. The vocabulary and phrasing in some parts of the book is out of time with the period and level of education of the characters, but I did not find that too distracting. I saw one mention to "canning" food. If I am not mistaken, canning was not invented until Napoleon's army needed a way to preserve food over 150 years after the period in The Devil's Elbow. All the other historical references, however, were right on target and brought the book to life for me. I recommend this book as light, enjoyable reading, especially for young adults.

Jack Parker, orphaned at an early age, is brought up by family in colonial Massachusetts. After spending a difficult apprenticeship in Boston, he moves with his aunt and uncle to a pioneer outpost, where he befriends the local Indians. Everything changes when, on one terrible day, their Indian neighbors turn against the settlers.

In The Devil's Elbow, Mr. Londergan brings to life the early colonization of 17th century America. This is a very detailed story, with what I assume to be realistic experiences and dialogue for that time. While the story begins a bit slowly, the pace builds nicely to the climactic point of the book, which is the conflict between the settlers and the Native Americans.

4 stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Black Lion book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Londergan's sense of storytelling and character development comes through in this timeless story of love, family and the journey towards the American Dream. Filled with plenty of suspenseful action scenes too, this was a hard book to put down. The highs and lows of Jack Parker's adventures in the late 17th century Massachusetts Bay colony are still relatable to all ages today. Hardships will always be a constant in our lives but the true value of one's self is how you respond to adversity. An excellent book for those thirsting for a story about the appreciation of good old fashion hard work, perseverance, hope, redemption and faith that dreams can come true if you're willing to work for it. A highly recommended read. Can't wait to see more from Londergan!

This is definitely a novel with a large impact on the reader. Londergan takes a very touchy subject and turns it into a unique novel that leaves you reeling, thinking, and thanking your lucky stars for what we have today. He also brings to light the fact that war, in any form or at any point in history, affects each individual involved.

Londergan's writing is so seamless that you never have to take your mind off of the storyline to figure out what he's trying to say. All descriptions and narrative are worked right into the storyline to create an aura of reality and permanence in this work. It is also written completely in the first person, a technique that when mastered as well as Londergan has immerses the reader directly into the trials and joys facing the main character.

The characters in this novel are very interesting. They are well developed and allow you to join in their lives along with the community in which they live. You want to see them succeed and achieve their life goals, regardless of how far they are from what we would expect today. The supporting characters are also quite uniquely developed. Londergan provides them with all of the characteristics necessary to become real people and members of the community, along with additional things that make them who they are.

As a whole this was a very intriguing look at the time period and the western expansion in the continental United States. Everything was spot on and wrapped up in a very heart-warming, yet heart wrenching story of the lives of a young couple attempting to succeed in a very rough climate.

Please note that I received this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review